+ Q: I’m having some troubles dealing with suffering, and I don’t want just the “Jesus loves me” answer.  Any thoughts or insights? Response: There were two  other blogs where we discussed  the problem of evil and how peoples’ choices are really the cause of most of our suffering. So I want to take a different line of meditation this time. Actually, this is a time of year, where that question is being meditated on by the – …

In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, I observed that the most frequent response was that of anger. President Francois Hollande, for example, vowed to destroy ISIS while the hacking cooperative Anonymous declared it would mercilessly hunt ISIS members down. It was anger that led the ISIS to attack France and now it is the French people’s turn to give in to anger and strike back, all while ISIS plots to strike – …

Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the martyrdom of St. Marina the Holy Martyr of Antioch, a wonderful role model especially for young women. She was raised as an unbeliever by her parents until her mother died. Afterwards, she believed in our Lord Jesus Christ and vowed to remain a virgin for Him, but her father disowned her because of her faith, which ultimately resulted in her martyrdom. She shunned marriage, pleasure, fame, wealth, family, – …

On Tuesday, April 14, His Grace Bishop Serapion and several reverend fathers of the Diocese participated in an ecumenical prayer service at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels commemorating the Armenian genocide of the 20th century in which 1.5 million Armenian Christians were killed under Ottoman Turk rule.Several speeches were given by speakers such as the Roman Catholic Archbishop Jose Gomez and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Below, please find the most recent list of names of the 21 New Martyrs of Libya for use in prayers and publications. Milad Makeen Zaky Abanub Ayad Atiya Maged Soliman Shehata Youssef Shukry Younan Kirollos Boshra Fawzy Bishoy Astafanous Kamel Samuel Astafanous Kamel Malak Ibrahim Sinyout Tawadros Youssef Tawadros Gerges Milad Sinyout Mina Fayez Aziz Hany Abdel Mesih Salib Samuel Alham Wilson Ezzat Boshra Naseef Luka Nagaty Anis Gaber Mounir Adly Essam Baddar Samir Malak Farag – …

His Grace Bishop Serapion and several members of the clergy will participate, God willing, in an Ecumenical Prayer Service organized by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange under the auspices of the Most Reverend Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange. The service will take place on Tuesday, March 3 from 7:30-8:30 pm at the Arboretum at Christ Cathedral (formerly Crystal Cathedral) located at 13280 Chapman Ave. in Garden Grove. From the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s – …

His Grace Bishop Serapion, along with the clergy and laity of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, offers prayers, condolences, and sympathy to the families of the 21 Coptic martyrs of Libya who received the crown of eternal life on February 13, 2015. We pray that the Lord may receive their pure souls in the Paradise of Joy and grant them eternal rest in the company of all of the holy saints who have – …

My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Christ is born, let us glorify Him! Christ is from heaven, let us go and meet Him! Christ on earth, let us exalt Him! It is my pleasure to wish all of you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who came for our salvation.  We celebrate God’s wondrous love for us, since He made Himself of no reputation – …

Fellow Graduates and Young Professionals, Join us this October in the beautiful beach town of Oxnard, California for our 11th Annual Graduates and Young Professionals (GYP) Convention: Orthodoxy Uncensored: Defining Truth; refining tradition This year, we will be navigating the complexities of the often blurred lines between dogma and culture. Find where you stand (and where you should be standing) as we explore together our Church’s core beliefs and the effect and role of various, – …

The ecumenical Christian organization, Christian Churches Together (CCT), has issued a powerful statement in support of the Copts in wake of the recent unprecedented violence against them in Egypt. The statement reads as follows: Grace and peace be to you, in the name of our Lord and Savior! We write to you as leaders of Christian Churches Together in the USA. During the last three weeks of political unrest in Egypt, we have witnessed with – …

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is following closely the unfortunate incidences occurring in our nation and confirms its strong stance with the Egyptian law enforcement, the armed forces, and all civil Egyptian institutions in confronting violent armed organizations and dark malicious forces, both internal and external. The attacks on our government entities and peaceful churches are terrorizing our citizens both Coptic and Muslim. These actions stand against all religions, morality, and humanity. We value – …

In a recent interview, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II offered the following words of comfort to all Copts around the world who are feeling sadness over the recent systematic attack on over 50 churches, monasteries, and Christian institutions throughout Egypt. Source: CopticWorld Greetings to all. These days in the history of Egypt are indeed difficult. The events taking place are by all measures are very sad, combining terrorism, crime, bloodshed and aggression. Certain people are – …